How To Lay Laminate Flooring

If you’d like the great look of wood floors at a fraction of the price, learn how to lay laminate flooring. This modern alternative is durable and not as hard to install as some floor coverings. Laminate floors are made of strips of wood-look flooring that snap together.

The first step in how to lay laminate flooring is to determine your starting wall. It should be the most exposed wall, and parallel with the direction you want your boards to run.

Of course you will have laid down underlayment first. This provides a cushion under the laminate which makes it more comfortable to stand on. Concrete needs a vapor proof barrier laid down before applying laminate flooring. The underlayment needed in how to lay laminate flooring comes on big rolls. It needs a bit of room around the edges for expansion.

For best results, try out the first three rows of boards and fit them without gluing. This is how to lay laminate flooring carefully so you won’t have to undo mistakes. The boards at the ends will probably need to be cut to fit. Use a saber saw for this. Try not to have joints between boards in one row less than eight inches from joints in the next row. This makes the floor stronger.

When you have your boards laid out like you want them to go, the next step in how to lay laminate flooring is to start gluing them in place. You only place glue on the edges. The flooring is not glued down to the underlayment, but floats above it.

Use a block to tap the pieces together carefully so there are no gaps between them. Using a hammer can damage the boards, and they are hard to remove once the glue dries.

Let the glue dry between the first three rows before adding more. This takes about an hour. Proceeding with the rest of the floor in the same manner is how to lay laminate flooring. The last row needs to be at least two inches wide. Place quarter round molding all around the perimeter of the room to finish the edges.